1. Technical Field
The invention relates to the field of axial bearings having an adjoining seal between two members, which form contact surfaces for the rolling elements of the bearing, held by means of a cage.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In an axial bearing of this kind, known from FRA 1327643, the cage consists of a plastic material suitable for sealing the space between the contact surfaces of the adjacent members, which receive the rolling elements, and is provided, radially outside the rolling elements, with elastic sealing lips, which are oriented axially at the circumference of the cage and bear sealingly on the contact surfaces of the members. The members are integral thrust washers of the axial bearing, which is a needle bearing, and these thrust washers can also be arranged to mutually overlap at their outer rim in order to obtain, in the region of this overlap, a supplementary labyrinth seal for the space receiving the rolling elements.
A similar form of bearing with a corresponding seal is also known from DEA 1575691. In this case, the rolling elements, which are held by means of the cage, which similarly acts as a sealing element, can also be in the form of balls or tapered rollers.